I’ve been included in Marquis Who’s Who! According to the publisher, “…in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.”

Tooting my own horn here a bit, I’m pleased to announce that this month my Avvo rating ticked up from a 9.9 on a 10.0 scale (9.0 and greater is “Superb”) to a “perfect” 10.0/10.0! I’m one of only four attorneys in the Glens Falls area to have achieved this top rating (the Avvo directory lists 231 state-registered attorneys in the Glens Falls area)!

The Avvo.com rating is based on a proprietary algorithm that weighs experience, attorney disciplinary record, peer reviews, industry recognition by other attorneys, and awards.

On December 1st, my offices will be moving from the Colvin Building at 206 Glen Street to 126 Glen Street, Suite 201, at the corner of Glen and Park Streets, south of Centennial Circle and next to Coffee Planet.

My offices are in a newly renovated office building, “The Hub at 126 Glen Street”, which features two large conference rooms and a library where we can meet.

My mailing address, fax and phone numbers will not change.

126 Glen Street has ample free parking in the back lot which is shared with the Coffee Planet coffeeshop and accessible from both Park Street and Hudson Avenue. The office entrance is also from the parking lot in the back.

UPDATE (July 2015): Unfortunately, the owners of the shared office space at “The Hub@126 Glen Street decided to close the Glens Falls location as of July 1, 2015. My client conferences and meetings will now be held at the two other Hub locations in Saratoga Springs, primarily “The Hub@63 Putnam Street” at 63 Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs. Further contact information and directions to this location are available on my client and contact information sheet at http://jacklebo.info and will be provided to clients when meetings are scheduled.

At a recent reception celebrating “National Pro-Bono Week”, Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York (“PLS”) presented me with its Paul J. Curran Award for Pro Bono Service by a Solo Practitioner or Small Firm for my work in securing the release of an elderly inmate on “medical parole”.

The Curran award is named for Paul J. Curran, a longtime Chairman of PLS’ Board of Directors and a prominent public figure as a state Assemblyman, Chair of New York City’s Commission on Investigation and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The award is presented annually to the PLS volunteer attorney who most embodies the late Mr. Curran’s commitment to protecting and defending the rights of incarcerated New Yorkers by providing pro bono services.

But for a long time, staplers have been one of the banes of my existence. Why? Because you’d spend all this time producing a good looking multipage document and its appearance would be spoiled by a crappy stapling job with too large holes, crooked staples, and staples that didn’t fit a few page document tightly.

Then my son Gavin who (being a modern citizen) researches everything relentlessly on Google, gave me his Swingline Optima® stapler, pictured below, which costs about twice or three times the cheaper brands pictured in the Times article (~$25 at the big box office stores), and does a beautiful stapling job, especially with the premium Optima staples (Swingline item #35556) which come in a metal box.

OK, maybe I’m a retro compulsive geek about the appearance of documents (I’m an attorney who also uses Cranes Crest® 100% cotton fiber paper and a fountain pen), but this stapler is very satisfying in making the neat kinds of staples only large office photocopiers were able to make. (Photo credit: selfie by Mac “Photo Booth” app).

I wanted to say a few words about my recent “pro bono” legal work after celebrating “National Pro Bono Week” (October 21-27) several weeks ago. “Pro bono” is shorthand for the Latin phrase “Pro bono publico”, meaning “for the public good”. It’s work undertaken voluntarily and without payment, or at a reduced fee, as a public service.

Pro bono service, unlike traditional volunteerism, uses the specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are unable to afford them. Such work, I’m proud to say, is most commonly associated with the legal profession. [1]

Our state bar ethics rules say that lawyers “should aspire to provide at least twenty hours of pro bono legal services each year to poor persons” and “contribute financially to organizations that provide legal services to poor persons”. However, this is a voluntary goal, unlike most other ethics rules and Court regulation of professional obligations. [2]

While pro bono work doesn’t pay the bills, it is still one of the most satisfying aspects of being a lawyer. The inherent “good karma” of helping those unable to afford legal representation, and the gratitude they and their families express is, in the words of the credit card ad, “priceless”.

I’ve never tried to use LegalZoom, but my guess is, even with their non-lawyer customer assistance agents and “instructions”, figuring out how to use their forms is something like doing your own taxes. Simple if your financial matters are simple, but perplexing if you have to file some of the more complicated forms and schedules and have questions you (or the computer program you’re using) can’t answer. You might make mistakes, or be uncomfortable “going it alone”.